Listen to this issue.

0:00

/6:20

1×

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• The Associated Press cites multiple sources as saying that Israel is in talks with South Sudan about the possibility of relocating Palestinians from Gaza to the East African nation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview yesterday that "allowing the population to leave" is "the right thing to do." [more]
• Ahead of Israel's planned occupation of the city, Palestinian health officials say at least 123 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza City in the past 24 hours. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,266 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• German officials say Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will join German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin today for talks with European and U.S. leaders ahead of the Friday meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. [more]
• Russian Foreign Ministry deputy spokesperson Alexei Fadeev said today that Russia's conditions for ending the war in Ukraine remain the same as those outlined by President Vladimir Putin in June 2024, including the full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from regions that Moscow claims as its own and the abandonment of any future NATO membership ambitions for Ukraine. [more]

U.S. BUDGET DEFICIT | According to Treasury Department data released yesterday, U.S. government spending and receipts showed a $291 billion deficit in July – an increase of about 20% from the same period last year – despite some $28 billion in revenue from President Donald Trump's trade tariff program. [full Treasury report] [more]

U.S. NATIONAL DEBT | Treasury Department data released this week shows that the U.S. government's national debt surpassed $37 trillion this month – a milestone reached years earlier than the pre-pandemic Congressional Budget Office estimate of 2030. [Treasury report] [more]

SMITHSONIAN MUSEUMS | White House officials sent a letter to the Smithsonian Institution yesterday outlining plans for White House review of the institution's museums to ensure the alignment of exhibits, grants, curation, and public-facing exhibition text and online content with President Donald Trump's view and interpretation of American history. Responding to the letter, the Smithsonian said it is committed to "scholarly excellence, rigorous research, and the accurate, factual presentation of history," and that it is reviewing the letter with those commitments in mind. [more]

ALASKA | Residents of some areas of Juneau, Alaska, have been told to be ready to evacuate ahead of expected flooding from water and snowmelt from the nearby Mendenhall Glacier. Local officials confirmed yesterday that water had begun escaping the glacier ice dam and flowing toward the capital city. [more]

U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS | President Donald Trump has nominated conservative Heritage Foundation chief economist E.J. Antoni to be the next commissioner of the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the agency that produces federal jobs and inflation statistical reports. The nomination follows the firing of former commissioner Erika McEntarfer after the August 1 jobs reports showing weak hiring in July and downgrading hiring data from May and June were released. [more]

U.S. AND MEXICO | Mexico sent 26 high-ranking drug cartel figures to the United States yesterday to face charges of narcotics smuggling, murder, and other crimes. Reports note that the U.S. agreed to not seek the death penalty against any of the defendants as part of the transfer agreement. [more]

GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS | The U.S. State Department released its annual human rights reports for countries worldwide yesterday. Analysts note that the reports eliminate mentions of discrimination faced by LGBTQ people, rigged elections, or gender-based violence, reduce a previous focus on reproductive rights, and criticize some U.S. allies in Europe for restrictions on political speech that the Trump administration contends target right-wing politicians. [full reports] [more]

IRAN | Following talks with Iranian diplomats last month in Istanbul, the U.K., France, and Germany – collectively known as the E3 – have reportedly told the United Nations that they are ready to re-impose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program if Tehran fails to resume talks by the end of August. [more]

GUATEMALA | A Guatemalan court convicted six former officials on various charges yesterday in connection with a 2017 fire at a facility for at-risk youth in which 41 girls were killed. The former officials were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to 25 years in prison. [more]

FRANCE AND CAMEROON | In a letter made public yesterday, French President Emmanuel Macron made France's first acknowledgement that his country carried out a war of "repressive violence" against Cameroon's independence movement both before and after the Central African country gained its independence in 1960. Reports note that the letter was sent to Cameroonian President Paul Biya last month. [more]

TAIWAN | Schools and government offices across much of southern and central Taiwan are closed today amidst the landfall of Typhoon Podul. Officials say the storm is expected to move across the southern third of the island today before heading out into the Taiwan Strait and toward China by late afternoon. [more]

SERBIA | Authorities say dozens of people, including 16 policemen, were injured yesterday in clashes between opponents and supporters of the Serbian government of President Aleksandar Vucic in the city of Vrbas, northwest of the capital Belgrade. [more]

SOCIAL MEDIA | Google-owned video platform YouTube says it will begin testing a new AI-powered age-verification system for users in the United States today. The company says users flagged as being under the age of 18 will be prevented from watching videos and engaging in other behavior deemed inappropriate for their age. [YouTube blog post] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1521, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés captured Tenochtitlán – now Mexico City – after a 93-day siege, thereby ending the Aztec empire and winning Mexico for the crown of Spain. [more history]